EP1991711B1 - Reduction process and plant - Google Patents
Reduction process and plant Download PDFInfo
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- EP1991711B1 EP1991711B1 EP07704249A EP07704249A EP1991711B1 EP 1991711 B1 EP1991711 B1 EP 1991711B1 EP 07704249 A EP07704249 A EP 07704249A EP 07704249 A EP07704249 A EP 07704249A EP 1991711 B1 EP1991711 B1 EP 1991711B1
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- reducing gas
- reduction
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- 238000011946 reduction process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 21
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 149
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N Iron Chemical compound [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 66
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 48
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 46
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 46
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 238000003786 synthesis reaction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 24
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims description 166
- 238000006722 reduction reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 52
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 41
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims description 27
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 23
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 claims description 17
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 12
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000003134 recirculating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- PMVSDNDAUGGCCE-TYYBGVCCSA-L Ferrous fumarate Chemical compound [Fe+2].[O-]C(=O)\C=C\C([O-])=O PMVSDNDAUGGCCE-TYYBGVCCSA-L 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002737 fuel gas Substances 0.000 claims description 4
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- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000006057 reforming reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 3
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- FGUUSXIOTUKUDN-IBGZPJMESA-N C1(=CC=CC=C1)N1C2=C(NC([C@H](C1)NC=1OC(=NN=1)C1=CC=CC=C1)=O)C=CC=C2 Chemical compound C1(=CC=CC=C1)N1C2=C(NC([C@H](C1)NC=1OC(=NN=1)C1=CC=CC=C1)=O)C=CC=C2 FGUUSXIOTUKUDN-IBGZPJMESA-N 0.000 claims 1
- YTAHJIFKAKIKAV-XNMGPUDCSA-N [(1R)-3-morpholin-4-yl-1-phenylpropyl] N-[(3S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-1,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl]carbamate Chemical compound O=C1[C@H](N=C(C2=C(N1)C=CC=C2)C1=CC=CC=C1)NC(O[C@H](CCN1CCOCC1)C1=CC=CC=C1)=O YTAHJIFKAKIKAV-XNMGPUDCSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 239000003245 coal Substances 0.000 abstract description 7
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- 238000002309 gasification Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 37
- 239000003638 chemical reducing agent Substances 0.000 description 11
- 238000005336 cracking Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 9
- 229910001567 cementite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 8
- UQSXHKLRYXJYBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron oxide Inorganic materials [Fe]=O UQSXHKLRYXJYBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 239000008188 pellet Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000000112 cooling gas Substances 0.000 description 4
- SZVJSHCCFOBDDC-UHFFFAOYSA-N ferrosoferric oxide Chemical compound O=[Fe]O[Fe]O[Fe]=O SZVJSHCCFOBDDC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 235000013980 iron oxide Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- VBMVTYDPPZVILR-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron(2+);oxygen(2-) Chemical class [O-2].[Fe+2] VBMVTYDPPZVILR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000001627 detrimental effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 3
- JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron(III) oxide Inorganic materials O=[Fe]O[Fe]=O JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- KSOKAHYVTMZFBJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron;methane Chemical compound C.[Fe].[Fe].[Fe] KSOKAHYVTMZFBJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000010744 Boudouard reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005255 carburizing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
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- 239000002803 fossil fuel Substances 0.000 description 2
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- 239000007800 oxidant agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000002161 passivation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000002407 reforming Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000011343 solid material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 2
- 101100129500 Caenorhabditis elegans max-2 gene Proteins 0.000 description 1
- MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Dioxygen Chemical compound O=O MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003054 catalyst Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052595 hematite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011019 hematite Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910052500 inorganic mineral Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- LIKBJVNGSGBSGK-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron(3+);oxygen(2-) Chemical compound [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Fe+3].[Fe+3] LIKBJVNGSGBSGK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000002211 methanization Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 230000009257 reactivity Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 238000009628 steelmaking Methods 0.000 description 1
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Images
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
- C21B13/0073—Selection or treatment of the reducing gases
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
- C21B13/0086—Conditioning, transformation of reduced iron ores
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
- C21B13/02—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in shaft furnaces
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
- C21B13/02—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in shaft furnaces
- C21B13/029—Introducing coolant gas in the shaft furnaces
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B2100/00—Handling of exhaust gases produced during the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/20—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases
- C21B2100/22—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases by reforming
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B2100/00—Handling of exhaust gases produced during the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/20—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases
- C21B2100/26—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases by adding additional fuel in recirculation pipes
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B2100/00—Handling of exhaust gases produced during the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/20—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases
- C21B2100/28—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases by separation
- C21B2100/282—Increasing the gas reduction potential of recycled exhaust gases by separation of carbon dioxide
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B2100/00—Handling of exhaust gases produced during the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/40—Gas purification of exhaust gases to be recirculated or used in other metallurgical processes
- C21B2100/44—Removing particles, e.g. by scrubbing, dedusting
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
- C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
- C21B2100/00—Handling of exhaust gases produced during the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/60—Process control or energy utilisation in the manufacture of iron or steel
- C21B2100/64—Controlling the physical properties of the gas, e.g. pressure or temperature
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
- Y02P10/10—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions
- Y02P10/122—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions by capturing or storing CO2
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
- Y02P10/10—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions
- Y02P10/134—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions by avoiding CO2, e.g. using hydrogen
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
- Y02P10/10—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions
- Y02P10/143—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions of methane [CH4]
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a reduction process and plant, suitable in particular for the production of metallic iron by means of the direct reduction of iron ore using the appropriately processed synthesis gas obtained from a gasifier as the reducing gas.
- the product obtained as a result of a direct reduction process is known as DRI or "Direct Reduced Iron".
- DRI Direct Reduced Iron
- the direct reduction process converts iron ore into a highly metallized iron product.
- the iron ore may be in the form of lump ore, pellets or a mixture of these components.
- the process produces reduced iron containing variable quantities of carbon preferably in the form of Fe 3 C.
- This material is the ideal foodstock for electric arc furnaces used in the production of high-quality steel.
- Direct reduction systems can thus also be integrated with the systems upstream of electric steelmaking plants.
- Methane reformers using steam or iron reduction exhaust gases are often used as the source of the reducing gas for this process.
- Coal or other fossil fuel gasifiers can also be used.
- a diagram of the layout of a plant and of a relative direct reduction process according to the prior art are illustrated in Fig. 1 .
- the reducing gas is produced by a coal gasifier.
- the gas produced by a gasifier known as synthesis gas or "syngas" can vary considerably according to the requirements of the end user.
- the solid material moves down the reactor it meets a stream of reducing gas flowing in the opposite direction.
- the exhaust gas exits the reactor and flows along an exhaust gas line or duct. After being cleaned and cooled in a scrubber system, this exhaust gas is split into two flow paths. One stream is sent as fuel gas to the burners in the process heater, while the second stream, known as the recycle gas stream, is recirculated to increase system efficiency.
- n (%H 2 + %CO)/(%H 2 O + %CO 2 ).
- This ratio indicates the capacity of the gas to reduce the oxides.
- the higher the ratio ⁇ in the reducing gas entering the reactor the easier it is for the gas to reduce the iron oxides and the lower the specific quantity of gas that is required; the lower the ⁇ value in the exhaust gas line, the more efficient the reduction process.
- the exhaust gas contains significant levels of H 2 O and CO 2 , which form during the reduction reaction, and has a ratio ⁇ of approximately 1,4; it therefore still contains significant levels of reducing agents, which are recirculated in order to improve the overall efficiency of the process.
- the cleaning and cooling performed by the scrubber also improve the exhaust gas, by condensing and thus eliminating the water produced by the reduction reactions.
- the recycled gas After cooling and cleaning in the scrubber, the recycled gas has a ratio ⁇ of approximately 3.
- the recycled gas is processed in the recirculation compressor and divided into two more flow paths or streams, one of which is further improved by being processed in an appropriate apparatus to remove the CO 2 , using methods and techniques available on the market, to obtain a decarburized gas (n>15).
- the two additional streams respectively of recirculated process gas and decarburized gas are mixed with a stream of syngas supplied by an external source, usually a coal gasifier, the function of which is thus to reintegrate the reducing agents to the level required for the reduction process.
- the cold reducing gas obtained by mixing the three streams has a ratio ⁇ ) of more than 10.
- the reducing gas is subjected to at least one heating process.
- a first heating process is performed in a process heater in which the gas is heated to a temperature of between 800 °C and 950 °C. If necessary; a second heating process can be performed by injecting a certain amount of oxygen into the duct leading to the reactor in order to heat the gas to a temperature of between 850 °C and 1100 °C. Though detrimental to the overall amount of reducing agents in the gas, raising the temperature in this way has a beneficial effect on reduction kinetics and improves the overall efficiency of the process.
- the reducing gas is fed into the reactor where it reacts with the iron oxides in the load.
- the following reactions occur: CO + 3Fe 2 O 3 ⁇ 2Fe 3 O 4 + CO 2 ; H 2 + 3Fe 2 O 3 ⁇ 2Fe 3 O 4 + H 2 O; CO + Fe 3 O 4 ⁇ 3FeO + CO 2 ; H 2 + Fe 3 O 4 ⁇ 3FeO + H 2 O; CO + FeO ⁇ Fe + CO 2 ; H 2 + FeO ⁇ Fe + H 2 O; which can be grouped into the following overall reactions Fe 2 O 3 + 3CO ⁇ 2Fe + 3CO 2 ; Fe 2 O 3 + 3H 2 ⁇ 2Fe + 3H 2 O.
- the reducing gas also contains a certain amount of methane, advantageously between 5 and 15%, which reacts with the CO 2 and H 2 O, in the reaction zone of the reactor, helped by the previously reduced metallic iron that acts as a catalyst, giving rise to the following reforming reactions: CH 4 + CO 2 ⁇ 2CO + 2H 2 ; CH 4 + H 2 O ⁇ CO + 3H 2 .
- the amount of methane in the reducing gas fed into the reactor has a significant effect on the temperature of the load in the reaction zone of the reactor: both the overall reaction CH 4 + FeO ⁇ Fe + CO + 2H 2 and the cracking reactions CH 4 ⁇ C + 2 H 2 are endothermic reactions and cause a drop in the temperature in the reaction zone. Since the quality of the product and the reaction kinetics, and thus the productivity of the plant, depend on this temperature, and since the plants connected to gasifiers according to the prior art are not provided with means for controlling the amount of methane in the reducing gas that is fed into the reactor, the possibility of controlling the process in the reaction zone of the reactor is extremely limited. Furthermore, if the syngas that is used has a high methane content, this will result in excess methane in the reducing gas line entering the reactor with the consequence that the temperature in the reaction zone may be below that required for sufficient reduction of the oxide pellets.
- a second drawback deriving from the fact that it is impossible to control the amount of methane in the reducing gas is the subsequently high levels of methane in the exhaust gas exiting the reactor. If the gas that is generally used as fuel has a high calorific value, there may be a surplus of gas that would necessarily be sent to the torch, with a subsequent reduction in overall process efficiency.
- Another drawback regards the fact that it is not easy to control the carburization process in the carburization zone.
- DRI direct reduced iron
- carburization is obtained by feeding a certain amount of reducing gas, containing methane, into the lower part of the reduction furnace, known as the carburization zone.
- carburization is obtained by feeding into the carburization zone a portion of the reducing gas, subjected to at least one heating process, or syngas from the coal gasifier.
- the temperature and composition of the gas are such to produce numerous reactions in the carburization zone, including: 2 CO ⁇ C + CO 2 (Boudouard reaction or RC1 ); CO + H 2 ⁇ C + H 2 O; (RC2 reaction) CH 4 ⁇ C + 2H 2 (cracking reaction or RC3).
- Reactions RC1 and RC2 are thermodynamically promoted by low temperatures and high pressures, while cracking is promoted by high temperatures and low pressures.
- carbon is deposited on the DRI according to all the mechanisms described above.
- a final drawback of the reduction systems known in the prior art that use synthesis gas produced by fossil fuel gasifiers, such as coal gasifiers, consists of the fact that the synthesis gas produced by such gasifiers is not always suitable for use as reducing gas in a direct reduction plant.
- This gas can be made suitable for use in the direct reduction process by using, for example, gasifiers that use a shift reactor in which the gas is subjected to a water-gas shift reaction CO + H 2O ⁇ CO 2 + H 2 to obtain additional hydrogen as a reducing agent, or by using a methanization reactor to produce additional methane to increase the calorific properties of the gas. For all of these reasons it is not therefore possible to use a shaft reduction furnace with a standard gasifier, which makes the overall system more complex.
- a first purpose of the present invention is to produce a reduction process for the production of metallic iron that, by comprising a step in which a portion or all of the syngas entering the plant circuit is processed to separate the methane from the rest of the components, thus enabling better control of the process in the reduction reaction zone of the reactor, making the efficiency of the process independent of the methane content in the syngas, i.e. the quality of the syngas that is used.
- Another purpose of the present invention is to implement a process that also allows the carburization phase to be controlled directly and completely in order to prevent the re-oxidation of the metallic iron.
- a further purpose of the present invention is to use gas with a high calorific value in the cooling circuit of the reactor, thus reducing the amount of gas needed to cool the load and subsequently reducing the size of the apparatus needed by the circuit in order to process said cooling gas.
- Another purpose of the present invention is to enable better exploitation of the CH 4 and thus improve process efficiency. Furthermore, this process provides more favourable conditions for the gas primary heater. The lower CH 4 content in the gas entering the heater reduces the risk of degradation due to methane cracking.
- a final purpose of the present invention is to produce a direct reduction plant capable of performing the aforesaid process.
- the present invention achieves the purposes described above with a process for the direct reduction of iron ore performed by a plant comprising a gravitational furnace having at least one iron ore reduction zone in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone and one reduced metal product cooling zone in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, iron ore moving means for moving ore inside the furnace, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone, means for processing exhaust gas and powders, comprising the following steps:
- the process according to the present invention is advantageously performed by a plant for the direct reduction of iron ore suitable for implementing a reduction process of the type described above, comprising a gravitational furnace having at least one iron ore reduction zone in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone and one reduced metal product cooling zone in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, moving means for moving ore inside the furnace itself, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone, means for processing exhaust gas and powders said plant being characterized in that it comprises
- separating the syngas entering the plant into a stream of pure methane and a stream consisting of reducing agents such as CO and H 2 makes it possible to:
- a second advantage of the process according to the invention consists of the fact that this new process makes it easier to control the carburization process.
- the only reaction that takes place inside said zone is cracking which, besides producing two volumes of reducing gas per volume of reacted methane, is an endothermic reaction and helps to control the temperature of the load.
- CH 4 as a carburization vector helps to reduce the CH 4 content in the recycled gas, preventing an excessive build-up thereof.
- Another advantage consists of the fact that the pure methane can also be used separately as a cooling gas. Since pure methane has a higher specific heat than the other syngas components, it is possible to reduce the amount of gas flowing in the cooling circuit.
- the cooling circuit can therefore comprise smaller apparatus, involving lower investment costs.
- FIG. 2 a layout of a reduction plant suitable for performing the process according to the present invention is illustrated.
- Said plant provides for the connection by means of a plant circuit, indicated as a whole by the number 40, of a reduction shaft 30 with an external source 11 supplying synthesis gas, otherwise known as syngas, which is used as the reducing gas and produced for instance by a coal gasifier.
- synthesis gas otherwise known as syngas
- the reduction shaft 30 comprises from top to bottom:
- the reactor or shaft 1 produces hot metallic iron or DRI, from oxides in the form of pellets and/or lumps, that descends due to the effects of gravity into the carburization zone 3.
- the cooling vessel 4 downstream is in turn directly connected to a discharging device by means of a dynamic gas seal leg 22.
- a second dynamic gas seal leg 23 is arranged between the feeding zone 21 and the reactor 1. There is thus a single flow of material from the hopper feed of the reduction shaft 30 to the base of the shaft or column.
- the reaction zone 2 comprises two reduction and reforming zones 2', 2", into which two streams of the reducing gas are fed so as to improve the distribution and supply of heat energy in said reaction zone 2.
- the stream of reducing gas is actually split into two parts and distributed between two ducts 26', 26" provided with their respective upper and lower feeders.
- the reducing gas stream or mixture is preferably divided between the upper and lower feeders in a proportion of approximately 30/70, with a greater proportion being sent to the lower feeder. Said division is performed by the respective adjusting means, such as suitably sized valves or nozzles.
- Other embodiments characterized by a number of feeders and relative ducts other than two are also possible.
- the exhaust gas is extracted from the reactor by means of the relative extraction means and flows along an exhaust gas line or duct 24. After being cleaned and cooled in a cleaning system 5, otherwise known as a scrubber, to eliminate the water produced by the reduction reactions, this exhaust gas is split into two flow paths. One stream is sent as fuel gas to the burners of the heater 9 along the duct 28; the second stream is recirculated to increase the ratio ⁇ between the reducing and oxidizing agents and is called the recycled gas stream 28'.
- a cleaning system 5 otherwise known as a scrubber
- the recirculating or recycled gas is processed in the recirculation compressor 6 and in a cooler 7, if said cooler is provided, and is then split into two more flow paths or streams 28" and 28"', the ratio ⁇ of the stream 28" is further increased to between 15 and 35 by processing it in a suitable apparatus 8 to remove the CO 2 , in order to obtain a decarburized recirculating gas stream.
- decarburized and non-decarburized recirculated gas streams 28'" are then mixed in the mixing duct 25 with a stream of syngas supplied by the external source 11 in order to re-integrate the quantity of reducing agents required by the reduction process.
- the cold reducing gas obtained by mixing the three streams described above that flows through the duct 32 has a ratio ⁇ of more than 10.
- the cold reducing gas in the mixing duct 25 is subjected to at least one heating process when it reaches the burners of the heater 9, in which the temperature of the gas is heated to between 800 °C and 950 °C, preferably to more than 920 °C.
- the hot reducing gas leaving the heater 9 flows through a duct 26 leading into the reaction zone 2 of the reactor 1.
- At least a portion of the syngas supplied by the external source 11 flows through another duct 33 provided with a processing device 16 suitable for separating the methane, the content of which in the syngas is between approximately 5% and 15%, from the rest of the gaseous flow.
- Said device 16 consists, for instance, of a cryogenic circuit.
- At the output of said processing device two new flow paths or streams are obtained: a stream of pure methane that flows through the duct 18, and a stream of pure reducing gas, comprising the reducing agents CO and H 2 , which flows through a duct 17 leading into the mixing duct 25.
- the processing device may consist of a circuit based on the use of physical separating means, such as membranes or molecule sieves, or chemical absorption systems.
- the pure methane flowing through the duct 18 is advantageously used in four different points of the circuit 40.
- a first predetermined portion of the pure methane is diverted along a line or duct 19 leading into the duct 26.
- the plant is advantageously provided with first adjusting means, not illustrated in the drawing, for controlling the amount of pure methane that is fed into the reducing gas duct 26 so as to optimize the reduction and reforming reactions.
- a second heating process may be provided, downstream of the point at which the methane is fed into the duct 26, by injecting a predetermined amount of pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air into said duct 26 so as to produce a partial combustion of CO and H 2 and heat the reducing gas to be introduced to a temperature of between 850 °C and 1100 °C.
- the reducing gas stream is fed into the ducts 26', 26" and then into the zone 2' and zone 2" for reduction and reforming.
- raising the temperature by means of said second heating process has a beneficial effect on reaction kinetics and improves the overall efficiency of the process.
- the heated reducing gas comprising a predetermined percentage of pure methane is fed into the reactor where it reacts with the iron oxides in the load to be reduced.
- a second predetermined portion of the pure methane is fed into the carburization zone 3 via the duct 15 and constitutes the only carburizing gas.
- this makes it possible to control the carburization process directly and completely: carbon is only deposited in the carburization zone 3 due to methane cracking, which prevents the triggering of other more complex reaction processes that are detrimental to the ⁇ of the gas, and the amount of carbon in the end metal product, preferably between 1.5% and 4%, can be controlled directly, simply by adjusting the carburizing gas flow rate using the relative second adjusting means.
- the reduced metallic iron, with a thin layer of iron carbide on the surface leaves the carburization zone 3 while it is still hot, at a temperature of between approximately 500 and 650 °C.
- the material remains in the zone 3 for a period of approximately 1-2 hours, advantageously 1,5 hours; the outflow of material from the zone 3 is controlled by connecting means with the cooling vessel 4, not illustrated in Fig. 2 , which comprise for example a valve for solids or a straightforward duct.
- the cooling vessel 4 not illustrated in Fig. 2
- this also has the function of preventing the cooling gas used in the vessel 4 from reaching the carburization zone 3 and the reaction zone 2, advantageously separating the reaction zones from the cooling zone, and of preventing the metal product below from having to support an excessively high column of material.
- a third predetermined portion of the pure methane is diverted from the duct 18 into the line or duct 20 leading into a cooling circuit 20' supplying the cone-shaped zone 4" of the cooling vessel 4.
- Feeding pure methane into said circuit 20' at a rate controlled by appropriate third adjusting means advantageously makes it possible to reduce the amount of gas flowing through said cooling circuit.
- the methane has a higher specific heat than the other components of the synthesis gas supplied by the external source 11 to the cooling circuit 20' via a duct 27.
- Increasing the amount of methane, even by as much as 100%, in the gas flowing through the circuit 20' reduces the amount of gas that must flow through the circuit to achieve optimum cooling.
- introducing pure methane into the cooling circuit 20' advantageously makes it possible to implement a circuit in which the apparatus arranged along the return line from the cooling vessel 4, for instance a compressor 13, an aftercooler 14 and a scrubber 12, are smaller than those used by conventional systems.
- the gas leaving the cooling circuit 20' enters the vessel 4 via a device, which is not illustrated, located in the cone-shaped zone 4", capable of radially distributing the gas so that it comes into contact with the material to be cooled.
- Said third adjusting means control the supply of pure methane into the circuit 20' so that the gas entering the vessel 4 is preferably at a temperature of between 35 and 50 °C.
- the metal product thus cooled and passivated is then discharged by means of a discharging device, consisting for example of a vibrating conveyor.
- Said discharging device is synchronized with the valve for solids so that the amount of material inside the cooling vessel 4 remains substantially constant. If the connecting means comprise a simple duct, the rate of material flowing from the carburization zone 3 to the vessel 4 is controlled directly by the discharging device downstream.
- Another advantage of the process and plant according to the invention consists of the fact that the introduction into the mixing duct 25 of pure reducing gas, comprising the reducing agents CO and H 2 and containing no methane, also results in a reduction in the amount of carbon that is deposited due to cracking in the heater 9.
- the deposition of carbon in the heater pipes depends on how the following reactions are balanced: 2 CO ⁇ C + CO 2 (Boudouard reaction or RC1 ); CO + H 2 ⁇ C + H 2 O; (RC2 reaction) CH 4 ⁇ C + 2H 2 (cracking reaction or RC3), and methane cracking is particularly promoted within the temperature range of between 400 and 950 °C (the operating range of the heater).
- the reduced level of methane in the cold reducing gas entering the heater reduces the possibility of cracking during the heating process and thus the deposition of carbon with the consequence that the heater's service life is extended.
- Advantageously specific amounts of synthesis gas can be sent along the duct 29 to the burners of the heater 9 and, if useful for the process, the pure methane flowing through the duct 18 can be mixed with predetermined amounts of synthesis gas via the branch line 29' of said duct 29.
- a stream of pure methane taken from the duct 18 can be sent directly to the burners of the heater 9 via the duct 31, if the methane produced by the processing device or separator 16 exceeds the amount required by the process.
- Means for controlling the flow rate of the pure methane sent directly to the burners are provided.
- the process and plant according to the invention therefore allow complete control of the main reduction process parameters, such as for instance temperature and the ratio ⁇ , in the various zones of the plant thus making the process more stable.
- the arrangement of the plant in Fig. 2 in which the methane can be extracted from the inflowing syngas, also means that process efficiency is independent of the methane content in said syngas. Furthermore, said plant does not require additional external sources of pure methane with the relative feed inlets to be provided in the circuit. Another advantage consists of the fact that the gasifier connected to the plant according to the invention need no longer be provided with components that are not directly linked to the production of the actual synthesis gas.
- the methane extracted from the syngas may be used as described above, but it may also be stored or sent to other users.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a reduction process and plant, suitable in particular for the production of metallic iron by means of the direct reduction of iron ore using the appropriately processed synthesis gas obtained from a gasifier as the reducing gas.
- The product obtained as a result of a direct reduction process is known as DRI or "Direct Reduced Iron". Such a direct reduction process and a corresponding apparatus is disclosed in
US 2002/0030310 A1 . The direct reduction process converts iron ore into a highly metallized iron product. The iron ore may be in the form of lump ore, pellets or a mixture of these components. The process produces reduced iron containing variable quantities of carbon preferably in the form of Fe3C. This material is the ideal foodstock for electric arc furnaces used in the production of high-quality steel. Direct reduction systems can thus also be integrated with the systems upstream of electric steelmaking plants. - Methane reformers (using steam or iron reduction exhaust gases) are often used as the source of the reducing gas for this process. Coal or other fossil fuel gasifiers can also be used. A diagram of the layout of a plant and of a relative direct reduction process according to the prior art are illustrated in
Fig. 1 . The reducing gas is produced by a coal gasifier. The gas produced by a gasifier, known as synthesis gas or "syngas", can vary considerably according to the requirements of the end user. - In case of direct reduction, a suitable and non-limitative composition of the dry syngas is shown in the table below:
H2/CO 1 - 2.5 CO2 max 3% CH4 5% - 15% (preferably 12%-15%) N2 max 2% C2 + max 1 % H2S max 100 ppm (vol.) Other traces Temperature min 30°C - The reactions occur in a shaft reactor in which there is a downflow of material, in the form of pellets or lumps, containing iron oxides, mainly hematite Fe2O3. There are detailed descriptions of the shaft reactor in the literature and for that reason it is not described here.
- As the solid material moves down the reactor it meets a stream of reducing gas flowing in the opposite direction. The exhaust gas exits the reactor and flows along an exhaust gas line or duct. After being cleaned and cooled in a scrubber system, this exhaust gas is split into two flow paths. One stream is sent as fuel gas to the burners in the process heater, while the second stream, known as the recycle gas stream, is recirculated to increase system efficiency.
- The gas streams used in direct reduction processes are often quantified on the basis of the ratio between the reducing and oxidizing agents, defined as: n = (%H2 + %CO)/(%H2O + %CO2).
- This ratio indicates the capacity of the gas to reduce the oxides. In principle, the higher the ratio η in the reducing gas entering the reactor the easier it is for the gas to reduce the iron oxides and the lower the specific quantity of gas that is required; the lower the η value in the exhaust gas line, the more efficient the reduction process.
- The exhaust gas contains significant levels of H2O and CO2, which form during the reduction reaction, and has a ratio η of approximately 1,4; it therefore still contains significant levels of reducing agents, which are recirculated in order to improve the overall efficiency of the process.
- The cleaning and cooling performed by the scrubber also improve the exhaust gas, by condensing and thus eliminating the water produced by the reduction reactions. After cooling and cleaning in the scrubber, the recycled gas has a ratio η of approximately 3.
- The recycled gas is processed in the recirculation compressor and divided into two more flow paths or streams, one of which is further improved by being processed in an appropriate apparatus to remove the CO2, using methods and techniques available on the market, to obtain a decarburized gas (n>15).
- At this stage the two additional streams respectively of recirculated process gas and decarburized gas are mixed with a stream of syngas supplied by an external source, usually a coal gasifier, the function of which is thus to reintegrate the reducing agents to the level required for the reduction process. The cold reducing gas obtained by mixing the three streams has a ratio η) of more than 10.
- To supply the energy that is needed for the reduction reactions, the reducing gas is subjected to at least one heating process. A first heating process is performed in a process heater in which the gas is heated to a temperature of between 800 °C and 950 °C. If necessary; a second heating process can be performed by injecting a certain amount of oxygen into the duct leading to the reactor in order to heat the gas to a temperature of between 850 °C and 1100 °C. Though detrimental to the overall amount of reducing agents in the gas, raising the temperature in this way has a beneficial effect on reduction kinetics and improves the overall efficiency of the process.
- Once it has been heated, the reducing gas is fed into the reactor where it reacts with the iron oxides in the load. The following reactions occur:
CO + 3Fe2O3→ 2Fe3O4 + CO2;
H2 + 3Fe2O3→ 2Fe3O4 + H2O;
CO + Fe3O4 →3FeO + CO2;
H2 + Fe3O4 →3FeO + H2O;
CO + FeO→ Fe + CO2;
H2 + FeO → Fe + H2O;
which can be grouped into the following overall reactions
Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2;
Fe2O3 + 3H2 → 2Fe + 3H2O.
- The reducing gas also contains a certain amount of methane, advantageously between 5 and 15%, which reacts with the CO2 and H2O, in the reaction zone of the reactor, helped by the previously reduced metallic iron that acts as a catalyst, giving rise to the following reforming reactions:
CH4 + CO2 → 2CO + 2H2;
CH4 + H2O→ CO + 3H2.
- The overall reaction that is obtained is: CH4 + FeO →Fe + CO + 2H2.
- Other parameters being equal, the amount of methane in the reducing gas fed into the reactor has a significant effect on the temperature of the load in the reaction zone of the reactor: both the overall reaction CH4 + FeO → Fe + CO + 2H2 and the cracking reactions CH4 → C + 2 H2 are endothermic reactions and cause a drop in the temperature in the reaction zone. Since the quality of the product and the reaction kinetics, and thus the productivity of the plant, depend on this temperature, and since the plants connected to gasifiers according to the prior art are not provided with means for controlling the amount of methane in the reducing gas that is fed into the reactor, the possibility of controlling the process in the reaction zone of the reactor is extremely limited. Furthermore, if the syngas that is used has a high methane content, this will result in excess methane in the reducing gas line entering the reactor with the consequence that the temperature in the reaction zone may be below that required for sufficient reduction of the oxide pellets.
- A second drawback deriving from the fact that it is impossible to control the amount of methane in the reducing gas is the subsequently high levels of methane in the exhaust gas exiting the reactor. If the gas that is generally used as fuel has a high calorific value, there may be a surplus of gas that would necessarily be sent to the torch, with a subsequent reduction in overall process efficiency.
- Another drawback regards the fact that it is not easy to control the carburization process in the carburization zone.
- The reason why it is important to obtain a reduced iron product with a given carbon content is its subsequent use in the electric furnace (EAF) to produce steel. Carbon is used as a substitute for electrical energy, in order to reduce electricity consumption and, proportionally, wear on the electrodes, and as a source of CO to obtain a suitably foamed slag.
- Furthermore, direct reduced iron (DRI) is highly reactive with oxygen and the humidity in the air and is subject to re-oxidation, which also results in the formation of potentially explosive mixtures. For this reason, DRI must only be stocked and transported after undergoing specific processes, namely passivation, to reduce its reactivity with air and water.
- The product obtained using the plant illustrated in
Fig. 1 has already been passivated and requires no further treatment. Passivation is due to a combination of several factors: - reduction occurs at a temperature of more than 800 °C; this process reduces the size of the pores in the DRI pellets which results in fewer active surfaces for oxidation and obstructs the diffusion of oxidizing molecules inside the DRI;
- carbon is deposited on the surface of the DRI and binds with the metallic iron to cause carburization, i.e. the formation of iron carbide, for instance cementite (Fe3C); the cementite produced in this way forms a thin layer on the surface of the DRI pellets, making the surfaces exposed to oxidation inactive.
- Generally speaking, carburization is obtained by feeding a certain amount of reducing gas, containing methane, into the lower part of the reduction furnace, known as the carburization zone.
- In the plant in
Fig. 1 carburization is obtained by feeding into the carburization zone a portion of the reducing gas, subjected to at least one heating process, or syngas from the coal gasifier. The temperature and composition of the gas are such to produce numerous reactions in the carburization zone, including:
2 CO→ C + CO2 (Boudouard reaction or RC1 );
CO + H2→ C + H2O; (RC2 reaction)
CH4 → C + 2H2 (cracking reaction or RC3).
- The carbon deposited on the DRI then binds with the metallic iron to form the cementite:
C + 3Fe → Fe3C,
- Reactions RC1 and RC2 are thermodynamically promoted by low temperatures and high pressures, while cracking is promoted by high temperatures and low pressures. When the conditions inside the carburization zone change, carbon is deposited on the DRI according to all the mechanisms described above.
- However, the activation of these various mechanisms means it is not easy to control the carburization process, which complicates the optimization of the overall reduction process. Another drawback of the reduction processes known in the prior art is that a portion of the syngas entering the reduction plant is used as a cooling gas in the cooling vessel, which is arranged downstream of the carburization zone. Because the syngas has such a low specific heat, a large amount of gas must be made to flow through the cooling circuit upstream of the vessel in order to enable efficient cooling. The apparatus used to implement said cooling circuit, such as a compressor, a final cooler and a system to clean the gas leaving the vessel, must all therefore be large in size and also involve considerable investment costs.
- A final drawback of the reduction systems known in the prior art that use synthesis gas produced by fossil fuel gasifiers, such as coal gasifiers, consists of the fact that the synthesis gas produced by such gasifiers is not always suitable for use as reducing gas in a direct reduction plant.
- This gas can be made suitable for use in the direct reduction process by using, for example, gasifiers that use a shift reactor in which the gas is subjected to a water-gas shift reaction CO + H2O → CO2 + H2 to obtain additional hydrogen as a reducing agent, or by using a methanization reactor to produce additional methane to increase the calorific properties of the gas. For all of these reasons it is not therefore possible to use a shaft reduction furnace with a standard gasifier, which makes the overall system more complex.
- The need is therefore felt to produce a new reduction process and plant capable of overcoming the drawbacks described above.
- A first purpose of the present invention is to produce a reduction process for the production of metallic iron that, by comprising a step in which a portion or all of the syngas entering the plant circuit is processed to separate the methane from the rest of the components, thus enabling better control of the process in the reduction reaction zone of the reactor, making the efficiency of the process independent of the methane content in the syngas, i.e. the quality of the syngas that is used.
- Another purpose of the present invention is to implement a process that also allows the carburization phase to be controlled directly and completely in order to prevent the re-oxidation of the metallic iron.
- A further purpose of the present invention is to use gas with a high calorific value in the cooling circuit of the reactor, thus reducing the amount of gas needed to cool the load and subsequently reducing the size of the apparatus needed by the circuit in order to process said cooling gas.
- Another purpose of the present invention is to enable better exploitation of the CH4 and thus improve process efficiency. Furthermore, this process provides more favourable conditions for the gas primary heater. The lower CH4 content in the gas entering the heater reduces the risk of degradation due to methane cracking.
- A final purpose of the present invention is to produce a direct reduction plant capable of performing the aforesaid process.
- The present invention achieves the purposes described above with a process for the direct reduction of iron ore performed by a plant comprising a gravitational furnace having at least one iron ore reduction zone in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone and one reduced metal product cooling zone in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, iron ore moving means for moving ore inside the furnace, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone, means for processing exhaust gas and powders, , comprising the following steps:
- a) extraction of the exhaust gas from the reactor using extraction means,
- b) cleaning and cooling of the exhaust gas in a first cleaning system, to eliminate the water produced by the reduction reactions,
- c) division of said exhaust gas into first and second flow paths,
- d) sending of the first stream as fuel gas to burners in heating means,
- e) recirculation of the second stream to improve the ratio (η) between the reducing gas and oxidizing gas content thereof, comprising the steps of
- f) processing the second stream in a recirculation compressor,
- g) dividing the second stream into third and fourth recirculating gas streams, and
- h) removing the CO2 from the third recirculating gas stream in order to increase said ratio (η)), by means of CO2 removal means,
- i) mixing said third and fourth streams in mixing means with a synthesis gas supplied by an external source in order to re-integrate the amount of reducing gas needed to reduce the iron ore, to define a reducing gas mixture,
- j) heating of the reducing gas mixture in the heating means to a temperature of between 800 °C and 950 °C,
- k) feeding of the reducing gas mixture leaving the heating means into the reduction zone of the reactor, through feeding means,
characterized in that - l) at stage i) at least a portion of the synthesis gas stream supplied by the external source is made to pass through a processing device to separate pure methane from the synthesis gas, forming a fifth stream of pure methane and a sixth stream of reducing gas, comprising the CO and H2 reducing gases,
- m) said sixth stream is mixed with said reducing gas mixture by means of said mixing means,
- n) a portion of said fifth stream of pure methane is fed into the carbon deposition zone, a portion into the cooling zone, a portion into the feeding means leading into the reactor reduction zone and a portion into the burners of the heater.
- The process according to the present invention is advantageously performed by a plant for the direct reduction of iron ore suitable for implementing a reduction process of the type described above, comprising a gravitational furnace having at least one iron ore reduction zone in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone and one reduced metal product cooling zone in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, moving means for moving ore inside the furnace itself, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone, means for processing exhaust gas and powders said plant being
characterized in that it comprises - a processing device for separating pure methane from at least a portion of a synthesis gas stream supplied by an external source so as to form a stream of pure methane and a stream of reducing gas, comprising CO and H2,
- a duct to carry the reducing gas stream coming from the processing device (16) to mixing means, to be mixed with a reducing gas mixture, deriving from a mixture of the exhaust gas processed with part of the synthesis gas,
- a duct to carry the pure methane to four points of the plant, said four points comprising a duct leading into the feeding means into the reactor reduction zone, a duct leading into the carbon deposition zone, a duct leading into the cooling zone and a duct leading into burners of heating means.
- Advantageously, separating the syngas entering the plant into a stream of pure methane and a stream consisting of reducing agents such as CO and H2 makes it possible to:
- send the stream of reducing gas to the cold reducing gas line, upstream of a first heating process, thus improving the reducing value of said gas,
- and to control, using the appropriate adjusting means, such as valves, then amount of methane in the reducing gas that is to be fed into the reaction zone of the reactor by adding a predetermined amount of pure methane downstream of said first heating process, protecting the heater against the risk of degradation due to excessive methane levels.
- By controlling the exact amount of methane in the reducing gas, it is also possible to directly control the amount of methane in the reaction zone in order to improve the quality of the product, optimize reaction kinetics and thus plant productivity.
- A second advantage of the process according to the invention consists of the fact that this new process makes it easier to control the carburization process. By feeding pure methane only into the carburization zone the only reaction that takes place inside said zone is cracking which, besides producing two volumes of reducing gas per volume of reacted methane, is an endothermic reaction and helps to control the temperature of the load.
- The use of CH4 as a carburization vector helps to reduce the CH4 content in the recycled gas, preventing an excessive build-up thereof.
- Another advantage consists of the fact that the pure methane can also be used separately as a cooling gas. Since pure methane has a higher specific heat than the other syngas components, it is possible to reduce the amount of gas flowing in the cooling circuit. The cooling circuit can therefore comprise smaller apparatus, involving lower investment costs.
- The claims attached hereto describe preferred embodiments of the invention.
- Further characteristics and advantages of this invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive embodiment of a reduction plant, that is merely illustrative and not limitative, with the help of the drawings attached hereto, in which:
-
Fig. 1 is a diagram of a layout of a plant according to the prior art; -
Fig. 2 is a diagram of a layout of a plant according to the present invention. - With reference to
Fig: 2 a layout of a reduction plant suitable for performing the process according to the present invention is illustrated. - Said plant provides for the connection by means of a plant circuit, indicated as a whole by the
number 40, of areduction shaft 30 with anexternal source 11 supplying synthesis gas, otherwise known as syngas, which is used as the reducing gas and produced for instance by a coal gasifier. - The
reduction shaft 30 comprises from top to bottom: - an iron
ore feeding zone 21, - a reactor or shaft 1 for the direct reduction of the minerals,
- a carburization zone 3,
- a cooling vessel 4.
- The reactor or shaft 1 produces hot metallic iron or DRI, from oxides in the form of pellets and/or lumps, that descends due to the effects of gravity into the carburization zone 3. The cooling vessel 4 downstream is in turn directly connected to a discharging device by means of a dynamic
gas seal leg 22. A second dynamicgas seal leg 23 is arranged between the feedingzone 21 and the reactor 1. There is thus a single flow of material from the hopper feed of thereduction shaft 30 to the base of the shaft or column. - As the solid material flows down through the reactor 1 it meets a stream of reducing gas flowing in the opposite direction that is fed into the
reaction zone 2 of said reactor, said zone being substantially cylindrical in shape. - According to the preferred embodiment in
Fig. 2 thereaction zone 2 comprises two reduction and reformingzones 2', 2", into which two streams of the reducing gas are fed so as to improve the distribution and supply of heat energy in saidreaction zone 2. The stream of reducing gas is actually split into two parts and distributed between twoducts 26', 26" provided with their respective upper and lower feeders. The reducing gas stream or mixture is preferably divided between the upper and lower feeders in a proportion of approximately 30/70, with a greater proportion being sent to the lower feeder. Said division is performed by the respective adjusting means, such as suitably sized valves or nozzles. Other embodiments characterized by a number of feeders and relative ducts other than two are also possible. - The exhaust gas is extracted from the reactor by means of the relative extraction means and flows along an exhaust gas line or
duct 24. After being cleaned and cooled in a cleaning system 5, otherwise known as a scrubber, to eliminate the water produced by the reduction reactions, this exhaust gas is split into two flow paths. One stream is sent as fuel gas to the burners of the heater 9 along theduct 28; the second stream is recirculated to increase the ratio η between the reducing and oxidizing agents and is called the recycled gas stream 28'. The recirculating or recycled gas is processed in the recirculation compressor 6 and in a cooler 7, if said cooler is provided, and is then split into two more flow paths orstreams 28" and 28"', the ratio η of thestream 28" is further increased to between 15 and 35 by processing it in asuitable apparatus 8 to remove the CO2, in order to obtain a decarburized recirculating gas stream. - These decarburized and non-decarburized recirculated gas streams 28'" are then mixed in the mixing
duct 25 with a stream of syngas supplied by theexternal source 11 in order to re-integrate the quantity of reducing agents required by the reduction process. The cold reducing gas obtained by mixing the three streams described above that flows through theduct 32 has a ratio η of more than 10. - To supply the amount of energy required by the reduction reactions, the cold reducing gas in the mixing
duct 25 is subjected to at least one heating process when it reaches the burners of the heater 9, in which the temperature of the gas is heated to between 800 °C and 950 °C, preferably to more than 920 °C. The hot reducing gas leaving the heater 9 flows through aduct 26 leading into thereaction zone 2 of the reactor 1. - Advantageously at least a portion of the syngas supplied by the
external source 11 flows through anotherduct 33 provided with aprocessing device 16 suitable for separating the methane, the content of which in the syngas is between approximately 5% and 15%, from the rest of the gaseous flow. Saiddevice 16 consists, for instance, of a cryogenic circuit. At the output of said processing device two new flow paths or streams are obtained: a stream of pure methane that flows through theduct 18, and a stream of pure reducing gas, comprising the reducing agents CO and H2, which flows through aduct 17 leading into the mixingduct 25. Alternatively the processing device may consist of a circuit based on the use of physical separating means, such as membranes or molecule sieves, or chemical absorption systems. - The pure methane flowing through the
duct 18 is advantageously used in four different points of thecircuit 40. - A first predetermined portion of the pure methane is diverted along a line or
duct 19 leading into theduct 26. The plant is advantageously provided with first adjusting means, not illustrated in the drawing, for controlling the amount of pure methane that is fed into the reducinggas duct 26 so as to optimize the reduction and reforming reactions. - By controlling the methane content in the reducing gas entering the reactor 1 it is possible to directly control the reduction process in the
reaction zone 2 of the reactor, by appropriately adjusting the temperature of the load in the reaction zone, preferably to between 800 and 900 °C, and thus the reaction kinetics. The total amount of methane in the line orduct 26 is thus controlled and maintained constant, regardless of the composition of the syngas that is used. - A second heating process may be provided, downstream of the point at which the methane is fed into the
duct 26, by injecting a predetermined amount of pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air into saidduct 26 so as to produce a partial combustion of CO and H2 and heat the reducing gas to be introduced to a temperature of between 850 °C and 1100 °C. - After undergoing the additional heating process, the reducing gas stream is fed into the
ducts 26', 26" and then into the zone 2' andzone 2" for reduction and reforming. - Though detrimental to the overall number of reducing agents in the gas, raising the temperature by means of said second heating process has a beneficial effect on reaction kinetics and improves the overall efficiency of the process. At this point the heated reducing gas comprising a predetermined percentage of pure methane is fed into the reactor where it reacts with the iron oxides in the load to be reduced.
- A second predetermined portion of the pure methane is fed into the carburization zone 3 via the
duct 15 and constitutes the only carburizing gas. Advantageously this makes it possible to control the carburization process directly and completely: carbon is only deposited in the carburization zone 3 due to methane cracking, which prevents the triggering of other more complex reaction processes that are detrimental to the η of the gas, and the amount of carbon in the end metal product, preferably between 1.5% and 4%, can be controlled directly, simply by adjusting the carburizing gas flow rate using the relative second adjusting means. The reduced metallic iron, with a thin layer of iron carbide on the surface, leaves the carburization zone 3 while it is still hot, at a temperature of between approximately 500 and 650 °C. The material remains in the zone 3 for a period of approximately 1-2 hours, advantageously 1,5 hours; the outflow of material from the zone 3 is controlled by connecting means with the cooling vessel 4, not illustrated inFig. 2 , which comprise for example a valve for solids or a straightforward duct. In case of the valve for solids, this also has the function of preventing the cooling gas used in the vessel 4 from reaching the carburization zone 3 and thereaction zone 2, advantageously separating the reaction zones from the cooling zone, and of preventing the metal product below from having to support an excessively high column of material. - A third predetermined portion of the pure methane is diverted from the
duct 18 into the line orduct 20 leading into a cooling circuit 20' supplying the cone-shaped zone 4" of the cooling vessel 4. - Feeding pure methane into said circuit 20' at a rate controlled by appropriate third adjusting means, advantageously makes it possible to reduce the amount of gas flowing through said cooling circuit. The methane has a higher specific heat than the other components of the synthesis gas supplied by the
external source 11 to the cooling circuit 20' via aduct 27. Increasing the amount of methane, even by as much as 100%, in the gas flowing through the circuit 20' reduces the amount of gas that must flow through the circuit to achieve optimum cooling. Thus introducing pure methane into the cooling circuit 20' advantageously makes it possible to implement a circuit in which the apparatus arranged along the return line from the cooling vessel 4, for instance acompressor 13, an aftercooler 14 and ascrubber 12, are smaller than those used by conventional systems. The gas leaving the cooling circuit 20' enters the vessel 4 via a device, which is not illustrated, located in the cone-shaped zone 4", capable of radially distributing the gas so that it comes into contact with the material to be cooled. Said third adjusting means control the supply of pure methane into the circuit 20' so that the gas entering the vessel 4 is preferably at a temperature of between 35 and 50 °C. - The metal product thus cooled and passivated is then discharged by means of a discharging device, consisting for example of a vibrating conveyor. Said discharging device is synchronized with the valve for solids so that the amount of material inside the cooling vessel 4 remains substantially constant. If the connecting means comprise a simple duct, the rate of material flowing from the carburization zone 3 to the vessel 4 is controlled directly by the discharging device downstream.
- Another advantage of the process and plant according to the invention consists of the fact that the introduction into the mixing
duct 25 of pure reducing gas, comprising the reducing agents CO and H2 and containing no methane, also results in a reduction in the amount of carbon that is deposited due to cracking in the heater 9. The deposition of carbon in the heater pipes depends on how the following reactions are balanced:
2 CO → C + CO2 (Boudouard reaction or RC1 );
CO + H2 → C + H2O; (RC2 reaction)
CH4 → C + 2H2 (cracking reaction or RC3), and methane cracking is particularly promoted within the temperature range of between 400 and 950 °C (the operating range of the heater). Thus, advantageously, the reduced level of methane in the cold reducing gas entering the heater reduces the possibility of cracking during the heating process and thus the deposition of carbon with the consequence that the heater's service life is extended. Advantageously specific amounts of synthesis gas can be sent along theduct 29 to the burners of the heater 9 and, if useful for the process, the pure methane flowing through theduct 18 can be mixed with predetermined amounts of synthesis gas via the branch line 29' of saidduct 29. - Finally, a stream of pure methane taken from the
duct 18 can be sent directly to the burners of the heater 9 via theduct 31, if the methane produced by the processing device orseparator 16 exceeds the amount required by the process. Means for controlling the flow rate of the pure methane sent directly to the burners are provided. - The process and plant according to the invention therefore allow complete control of the main reduction process parameters, such as for instance temperature and the ratio η, in the various zones of the plant thus making the process more stable.
- The arrangement of the plant in
Fig. 2 , in which the methane can be extracted from the inflowing syngas, also means that process efficiency is independent of the methane content in said syngas. Furthermore, said plant does not require additional external sources of pure methane with the relative feed inlets to be provided in the circuit. Another advantage consists of the fact that the gasifier connected to the plant according to the invention need no longer be provided with components that are not directly linked to the production of the actual synthesis gas. The methane extracted from the syngas may be used as described above, but it may also be stored or sent to other users. The specific embodiments described in this document are not limitative and this patent application covers all the alternative embodiments of the invention as set forth in the claims.
Claims (19)
- Process for the direct reduction of iron ore performed by means of a plant comprising a gravitational furnace having at least one iron ore reduction zone (2) in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone (3) and one reduced metal product cooling zone (4) in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, moving means for moving iron ore inside the furnace, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone (2), means for processing exhaust gas and powders comprising the following steps:a) extraction of the exhaust gas from the reactor using extraction means,b) cleaning and cooling of the exhaust gas in a first cleaning system (5), to eliminate the water produced by the reduction reactions,c) division of said exhaust gas into first and second flow paths,d) sending of the first stream (28) as fuel gas to burners in heating means (9),e) recirculation of the second stream (28') to improve the ratio (η) between the reducing gas and oxidizing gas content thereof, comprising the steps off) processing the second stream in a recirculation compressor (6),g) dividing the second stream into third and fourth recirculating gas streams (28" and 28"'), andh) removing the CO2 from the third recirculating gas stream (28") in order to increase said ratio (η), by means of CO2 removal means,i) mixing said third and fourth streams (28'' and 28''') in said mixing means (25) with a synthesis gas stream supplied by an external source (11) in order to re-integrate the amount of reducing gas needed to reduce the iron ore, to form a reducing gas mixture,j) heating of the reducing gas mixture in the heating means (9) to a temperature of between 800 °C and 950 °C,k) feeding of the reducing gas mixture leaving the heating means (9) into the reduction zone (2) of the reactor, through feeding means (26),
characterized in thatl) at stage i) at least a portion of the synthesis gas stream supplied by the external source (11) is made to pass through a processing device (16) to separate pure methane from the synthesis gas, forming a fifth stream of pure methane (18) and a sixth stream (17) of reducing gas, comprising the CO and H2 reducing gases,m) said sixth stream (17) is mixed with said reducing gas mixture by means of said mixing means (25),n) a portion (15) of said fifth stream of pure methane is fed into the carbon deposition zone (3), a portion (20) into the cooling zone (4), a portion (19) into the feeding means (26) leading into the reduction zone and a portion (31) into the burners of the heater (19). - Process according to claim 1, in which at step f) the second stream is processed in a cooler (7).
- Process according to claim 2, in which said reducing gas mixture obtained by mixing the synthesis gas stream with said third, fourth and sixth streams has a ratio (η) greater than 12.
- Process according to claim 3, in which the reducing gas mixture is preferably heated to above 910 °C.
- Process according to claim 4, in which downstream of step j) there is at least one additional reducing gas mixture heating process (10).
- Process according to claim 5, in which said additional heating process is implemented by injecting a predetermined amount of oxygen and/or air into the feeding means (26) to bring the temperature of the reducing gas mixture to between 850 °C and 1100 °C.
- Process according to claim 6, in which the portion of the fifth stream of pure methane that is fed into the cooling zone (4) of the reactor (1) is first cooled in a cooling circuit (20') that supplies said cooling zone (4).
- Process according to any of the previous claims, in which the amount of carbon in the reduced metal product is controlled directly by adjusting the flow rate of the portion (15) of the fifth stream to be fed into the carbon deposition zone (3) by means of respective adjusting means and by controlling its calorific value by means of a synthesis gas stream from a duct (29').
- Process according to any of the previous claims, in which the flow rate .of the portion (20) of the fifth stream to be fed into the cooling circuit (20') is controlled by means of the respective adjusting means in order to maintain said portion of the stream at a temperature of between 35 and 50 °C at the entrance to the cooling zone (4).
- Process according to any of the previous claims, in which the flow rate of the portion (19) of the fifth stream to be fed into the feeding means (26) is controlled by means of the respective adjusting means in order to optimize the reduction and reforming reactions.
- Plant for the direct reduction of iron ore, suitable for implementing a reduction process according to the claims from 1 to 10, comprising a gravitational furnace (1) having at least one iron ore reduction zone (2) in the upper part thereof, and at least one carbon deposition zone (3) and one reduced metal product cooling zone (4) in the lower part thereof, iron ore feeding means, means for moving iron ore inside the furnace, means for discharging the reduced metal product, means (26) for feeding a reducing gas mixture into at least one section of the reactor in correspondence with the reduction zone (2), means for processing exhaust gas and powders,
said plant being characterized in that it comprises- a processing device (16) for separating pure methane from at least a portion of a synthesis gas stream supplied by an external source (11) in order to form a stream of pure methane and a stream of reducing gas, comprising CO and H2,- a duct (17) to carry the reducing gas stream to mixing means (25) coming from the processing device (16), to be mixed with a reducing gas mixture, deriving from an exhaust gas mixture processed with part of the synthesis gas,- a duct (18) to carry the pure methane stream to four points of the plant, said four points comprising a duct (19) leading into the feeding means (26) into the reactor reduction zone (2), a duct (15) leading into the carbon deposition zone (3), a duct (20) leading into the cooling zone (4) and a duct (31) leading into burners of heating means (9). - Plant according to claim 11, in which said processing device consists of a cryogenic circuit (16).
- Plant according to claim 11, in which said processing device consists of a circuit based on the use of physical separating means, such as membranes or molecule sieves, or chemical absorption systems (16).
- Plant according to claim 12 or 13, in which between said cooling zone (4) and said feeding duct (20) there is a cooling circuit (20') comprising a compressor (13), a cooler (14) and a second cleaning system (12) arranged along the return line from the cooling zone (4).
- Plant according to claim 14, in which said feeding means comprise a duct (26) for feeding said reducing gas mixture into the reduction zone (2).
- Plant according to claim 15, in which said mixing means consist of a mixing duct (25).
- Plant according to claim 16, in which between a first cleaning system (5) and said means for removing CO2 (8) there is a compressor (6) for recirculating a portion of the exhaust gas and possibly a second cooler (7).
- Plant according to claim 17, provided with means (10) for injecting a predetermined amount of oxygen into the feeding duct (26).
- Plant according to claim 18, provided with the respective means for adjusting the pure methane flow rate respectively in the duct (19) leading into the feeding duct (26), in the duct (15) leading into the carbon deposition zone (3), in the duct (20) leading into the cooling circuit (20') and in the duct (31) in the burners of the heater (9).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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IT000158A ITMI20060158A1 (en) | 2006-01-31 | 2006-01-31 | PROCESS AND REDUCTION PLANT |
PCT/EP2007/050897 WO2007088166A1 (en) | 2006-01-31 | 2007-01-30 | Reduction process and plant |
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EP1991711A1 EP1991711A1 (en) | 2008-11-19 |
EP1991711B1 true EP1991711B1 (en) | 2010-01-06 |
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EP07704249A Active EP1991711B1 (en) | 2006-01-31 | 2007-01-30 | Reduction process and plant |
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US (1) | US7854786B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1991711B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE454477T1 (en) |
BR (1) | BRPI0706710B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602007004196D1 (en) |
EG (1) | EG25443A (en) |
IT (1) | ITMI20060158A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007088166A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (14)
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SE532975C2 (en) * | 2008-10-06 | 2010-06-01 | Luossavaara Kiirunavaara Ab | Process for the production of direct-reduced iron |
LU91547B1 (en) * | 2009-04-03 | 2010-10-04 | Wurth Paul Sa | Method and installation for producing direct reduced iron |
AT508291B1 (en) * | 2009-05-28 | 2011-07-15 | Siemens Vai Metals Tech Gmbh | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REDUCING OXIDIC ICE CARRIER WITH REDUCTION GAS FROM A CARBURETOR |
IT1402250B1 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2013-08-28 | Danieli Off Mecc | PROCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DIRECT REDUCTION IRON USING A REDUCING GAS SOURCE INCLUDING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE |
DE102011077819A1 (en) * | 2011-06-20 | 2012-12-20 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Carbon dioxide reduction in steelworks |
EP2626124A1 (en) * | 2012-02-13 | 2013-08-14 | Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH | Method and device for reducing the raw materials containing iron oxide |
US20140164265A1 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-12 | Oracle International Corporation | Clinical trial adverse event reporting system |
KR101455752B1 (en) * | 2013-04-22 | 2014-11-03 | 한국건설기술연구원 | System for making fuel using food waste, and method for the same |
WO2017115133A1 (en) | 2015-12-28 | 2017-07-06 | Hyl Technologies, S.A. De C.V. | Method and system for producing high-carbon dri using syngas |
EP3581663A1 (en) * | 2018-06-12 | 2019-12-18 | Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH | Preparation of carburised sponge iron by hydrogen-based direct reduction |
US20210301358A1 (en) * | 2020-03-24 | 2021-09-30 | Midrex Technologies, Inc. | Methods and systems for increasing the carbon content of direct reduced iron in a reduction furnace |
SE545311C2 (en) * | 2020-11-25 | 2023-06-27 | Hybrit Dev Ab | Process for the production of carburized sponge iron |
SE545831C2 (en) * | 2021-09-20 | 2024-02-13 | Plagazi Ab | Method for Producing Steel |
CN114807485A (en) * | 2022-03-09 | 2022-07-29 | 中冶赛迪工程技术股份有限公司 | Coal gas treatment method and system for producing direct reduced iron |
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AT385051B (en) * | 1986-08-07 | 1988-02-10 | Voest Alpine Ag | MILL PLANT AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING STEEL |
DE4041689C2 (en) * | 1990-04-20 | 1995-11-09 | Orinoco Siderurgica | Process and plant for producing liquid steel from iron oxides |
AT402733B (en) * | 1994-06-23 | 1997-08-25 | Voest Alpine Ind Anlagen | METHOD FOR DIRECTLY REDUCING IRON-OXIDATING MATERIAL |
GB2342360B (en) * | 1998-08-03 | 2002-10-09 | Hatch Ass Ltd | Shaft furnace for direct reduction of iron bearing pellets or lump iron ore |
US6183535B1 (en) * | 1998-10-16 | 2001-02-06 | Hylsa, S.A. De C.V. | Method for increasing the capacity of a direct reduced iron plant without increasing its reformer capacity |
IT1302811B1 (en) * | 1998-12-11 | 2000-09-29 | Danieli & C Ohg Sp | PROCEDURE AND RELATED APPARATUS FOR DIRECT REDUCTION OF IRON OXIDES |
IT1310535B1 (en) * | 1999-02-18 | 2002-02-18 | Danieli Off Mecc | DIRECT REDUCTION PROCESS FOR METAL MATERIAL AND RELATED INSTALLATION |
IT1310784B1 (en) * | 1999-10-11 | 2002-02-22 | Danieli Off Mecc | DIRECT REDUCTION EQUIPMENT TO OBTAIN METAL IRON WITH CARBON CARBON CONTENT |
WO2004101829A2 (en) * | 2003-05-15 | 2004-11-25 | Hylsa, S.A. De C.V. | Method and apparatus for improved use of primary energy sources in integrated steel plants |
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2007
- 2007-01-30 AT AT07704249T patent/ATE454477T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2007-01-30 DE DE602007004196T patent/DE602007004196D1/en active Active
- 2007-01-30 EP EP07704249A patent/EP1991711B1/en active Active
- 2007-01-30 US US12/223,564 patent/US7854786B2/en active Active
- 2007-01-30 WO PCT/EP2007/050897 patent/WO2007088166A1/en active Application Filing
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WO2007088166A1 (en) | 2007-08-09 |
EG25443A (en) | 2012-01-08 |
DE602007004196D1 (en) | 2010-02-25 |
BRPI0706710B1 (en) | 2015-08-25 |
EP1991711A1 (en) | 2008-11-19 |
BRPI0706710A2 (en) | 2011-04-05 |
ATE454477T1 (en) | 2010-01-15 |
US20090013828A1 (en) | 2009-01-15 |
US7854786B2 (en) | 2010-12-21 |
ITMI20060158A1 (en) | 2007-08-01 |
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